Not in my experience. As a female child, if I'd said "fanny" in front of my parents, I'd have expected to be told off for saying a rude word. Both it and willie[1] were our childish swear words.

I don't think we knew the grown up versions, so to us these were the height of rudeness, and yes, if a teacher had to read them out, the class would dissolve into hysterical laughter.

[1] Penis. We loved the film Free Willy over here, oh yes

It depends on your family. I mean, there are some words that everyone agrees are 'naughty,' but fanny, willy and bum were the usual words for those parts in my family while another little boy I knew ran to tell his parents when I used the word bum in front of him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IntelliQ

Confirmed by a friend of mine in Australia (I'm a Chicagoan), the word fanny is akin to the American slang C-word. Same crudeness factor.

I heard her gasp over the phone when I gave her examples of how Americans use fanny in a sentence. Ha.

I think your friend is taking the mick or very, very prudish, because although opinions on it do vary some, it's definitely nowhere near as strong as the c-word.